looking for the rest of the post war story on a WW2 C-47
Fri Jan 06, 2012 1:50 pm
I was digging in an old box of magazines and came across a Winter/December 1986 issue of AEROSPACE HISTORIAN that I've kept to build a model of a particular C-47.
The article, with a couple of photos is about C-47B-1-DL s/n 43-16389 l/n 20855 flown by Maj. Edgar A. Smith of the 75th T.C.S., 435th T.C. Grp,53rd T.C. wing nose code CK and tail code G.
Long story short, on May 9th, 1945 the crew was flying a resupply mission from their hospital base @ A-28, S.E. of Paris to R-26 hospital near Hannover. Someone decided it would be 'fun' to fly into Czechoslovakia to add to their collective 'Short Snorter' bills. En route they encountered a 12 seat German twin engined transport, they flew up alongside and poked 1911 COLTS and a THOMPSON Machine Gun out the window ports and cargo door and forced the German to fly back to their hospital field, where there were no guns, to score some 'war booty'. The ground echelons stripped the airplane of everything 'neat' before 389 could land and taxi in. The crew decided to see if they could do it again and took off, they soon encountered a flight of 5 STUKAS and performed the same 'Chicago style' hijacking back to base. The crew quickly painted 'STUKA CHASER' and 6 SWASTIKAS on the left side nose in white along with the other parachutes,gliders, and cargo bundle mission markers.
The aircraft left Europe and returned to the U.S. via Georgetown British Guiana, heading for Puerto Rico, their security code sheet blew out an open cockpit window and they diverted to Trinidad where they were in big trouble for not using the code of the day (!) they were refueled and ordered to leave immediately with a fresh code sheet.
Baughers site didn't have the airplane listed, so I've forwarded some info to him to fill a hole in his C-47's and ABCD shows no post war registrations and I was wondering if anyone knew her fate after the war, did she stay in the Army/Air Force, was she broken up, did she go to an airline? I've always thought this would be a real eye catcher set of markings and story for a display C-47.
The article, with a couple of photos is about C-47B-1-DL s/n 43-16389 l/n 20855 flown by Maj. Edgar A. Smith of the 75th T.C.S., 435th T.C. Grp,53rd T.C. wing nose code CK and tail code G.
Long story short, on May 9th, 1945 the crew was flying a resupply mission from their hospital base @ A-28, S.E. of Paris to R-26 hospital near Hannover. Someone decided it would be 'fun' to fly into Czechoslovakia to add to their collective 'Short Snorter' bills. En route they encountered a 12 seat German twin engined transport, they flew up alongside and poked 1911 COLTS and a THOMPSON Machine Gun out the window ports and cargo door and forced the German to fly back to their hospital field, where there were no guns, to score some 'war booty'. The ground echelons stripped the airplane of everything 'neat' before 389 could land and taxi in. The crew decided to see if they could do it again and took off, they soon encountered a flight of 5 STUKAS and performed the same 'Chicago style' hijacking back to base. The crew quickly painted 'STUKA CHASER' and 6 SWASTIKAS on the left side nose in white along with the other parachutes,gliders, and cargo bundle mission markers.
The aircraft left Europe and returned to the U.S. via Georgetown British Guiana, heading for Puerto Rico, their security code sheet blew out an open cockpit window and they diverted to Trinidad where they were in big trouble for not using the code of the day (!) they were refueled and ordered to leave immediately with a fresh code sheet.
Baughers site didn't have the airplane listed, so I've forwarded some info to him to fill a hole in his C-47's and ABCD shows no post war registrations and I was wondering if anyone knew her fate after the war, did she stay in the Army/Air Force, was she broken up, did she go to an airline? I've always thought this would be a real eye catcher set of markings and story for a display C-47.
Last edited by The Inspector on Fri Jan 06, 2012 6:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: looking for the rest of the post war story on a WW2 C-47
Fri Jan 06, 2012 3:53 pm
Great story! The Air-Britain DC-3 book says that '389 flew Operation Market (the Arnhem drop) with 85th TCS in Sept 44. No mention of 75th TCS but the full wartime history of many C-47s is not always traceable. From July 1945 she was back in the States, serving at San Bernadino and Wright-Patterson. Then to Far East, still with USAF, mainly as a support aircraft for Bomb Wings - Pusan, and other bases such as Yokota and finally Tachikawa until July 11 1963. Reclaimed (salvaged) Feb 11 1965.
Re: looking for the rest of the post war story on a WW2 C-47
Fri Jan 06, 2012 4:09 pm
That's exactly what I was hoping to find out!!! THANX 
I figured it may have become beer cans or one quart cooking pots right after the war. The simple nose logo and back story on an information poster would certainly perk up a C-47 either on display or doing the fly-in circuit.
Maybe this thread will inspire someone doing a C-47, now here's hoping someone has post war pictures of it.
I figured it may have become beer cans or one quart cooking pots right after the war. The simple nose logo and back story on an information poster would certainly perk up a C-47 either on display or doing the fly-in circuit.
Maybe this thread will inspire someone doing a C-47, now here's hoping someone has post war pictures of it.